Rosa Ponselle (b. Meriden, CT 1897 - d. nr. Baltimore, MD 1981), American soprano was a U.S. soprano singer born in Meriden, Connecticut.
EARLY LIFE AND VAUDEVILLE
Rosa Ponselle was born Rose Melba Ponzillo on January 22, 1897, in Meriden, Connecticut, the youngest of three children. Her parents were Italian immigrants. Rosa had an exceptionally mature voice at an early age and studied in Meriden with Mrs. Anna Ryan, the only person she ever acknowledged as a voice teacher (though others claimed to have given her lessons). Rosa sang in movie houses and cafes in Meriden and at church, and she became well-known locally for her exceptionally beautiful voice.
Rosa's older sister, Carmela, a mezzo-soprano, also had a fine voice and had a career in vaudeville. In 1915, Carmela brought Rosa to audition for her agent. In spite of being very overweight, Rosa impressed with her voice, and she was hired to perform with Carmela as a "sister act." Over the next three years the Ponzillo Sisters (also know as "Those Tailored Italian Girls") became a headlining act on the Keith Circuit in Vaudeville, appearing in all the major theaters on the circuit and making a substantial income. They performed as a "class act" and sang operatic arias and ballads.
In 1918, Carmela and Rosa demanded a large raise from the Keith Circuit, as a result of which their act was dropped. At the time, Carmela was studying in New York with a well-connected voice teacher/agent named William Thorner. Thorner invited the great tenor Enrico Caruso, star of the Metropolitan Opera, to his studio to hear Carmela and Rosa sing. Caruso was deeply impressed with Rosa's voice and arranged for an audition with the Met, as a result of which the Met offered Rosa a contract for the 1918-19 season.
MET DEBUT AND OPERATIC CAREER
contracted to opposite Caruso in the Met's 1918-19 season, in Verdi's one of the greatest opera singers the greatest was considered the soprano of the 20th century. She was known for wonderful portrayals of many operatic roles. Born Rosa Ponzillo into a vaudeville, she was discovered by Enrico Caruso, and at the age of 18 sang Verdi's ''La Forza del Destino''. She continued her long an lustrious carerr at the Met, and ended her run there with Carmen. Her voice was beginning to lose its lustre, and she sometimes couldn't hold a high C. Still she is remembered for the beauty of tone, her dark powerful lower register, and her eveness of beauty throughout her whole voice. She was known for her Verdian roles, and for Bellini's Norma. Even the great Maria Callas said this about her "First one must put aside Ponselle, then discussion of other singers may start."
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